A Cheaper Cup of Coffee

David Bach likes to refer to the latte factor — that daily indulgence you can’t resist. For many people, it’s a cup of premium coffee from Starbucks (or a local coffee stand). These people love their coffee, and they’re willing to pay for it. Bach notes that many people think they cannot afford to make investments, but they routinely spend $5/day on a latte (or on comic books or on lunch). That $5/day is roughly $2000/year, which is a nice start on an IRA.

What better way to defeat the latte factor than by learning to brew your own coffee? Here are some ideas to help you drink good coffee for less.

Switch from a fancy coffee drink to something simple. Starbucks sells regular coffee, too, and for less than half the price you’re paying for your latte.

Better yet: brew your own. If you’re not up for cheap brewed coffee, learn to make your own fancy stuff.

Keep your coffee maker clean for best flavor.

Roast your own beans. Mary Hunt buys quality green beans online for $4/pound. She roasts them in a popcorn popper! It takes little time to prepare a week’s worth of roasted beans.

If you buy or roast your beans in bulk, freeze the extra until you’re ready to grind them. (They’ll keep much longer than in the refrigerator.)

Grind your beans when you’re ready to use them. You’ll get more flavor this way.

Allow your beans to come to room temperature before grinding and brewing them.

Buy a re-usable filter. Though expensive, it will pay for itself in the long run. And the coffee will be better.

I have a couple of friends who swear they get the best coffee by grinding fresh beans in a coffee grinder, adding them to a French press, and then pouring in boiling water.

By learning to make your own premium coffee, you’ll develop a skill to impress friends and family while saving money at the same time!

(“You can’t tell people to switch from a latte to regular coffee,” my wife told me when she read this. “That’s like asking them to switch from chocolate cake to bread. The key is to just have chocolate cake less often.”)

Caveat: I am not a coffee drinker. I can’t stand the stuff. The above tips are second-hand, and I cannot vouch for them. I am a hot chocolate drinker. I know how to make premium hot chocolate at home, but not premium coffee…

Here’s a better idea – drop the coffee habit altogether. Most places let you bring in a water bottle, and/or have coolers/water fountains for easy refills.

I drink a ton of water instead and tend to feel better (and I never get the caffiene shakes or the headaches some people get from drinking too much/little), and it’s healthier, too! (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/02/030205073358.htm) The only downside is it comes in one flavor, for one price.

Of course, occasionally I still get a cup (for $1 from the cafe downstairs) – but one cup every few weeks is still cheaper then buying daily/brewing my own.

Though I’ve never been a slave to the local coffee shops, I do make my own coffee, but not every day. I buy bulk beans from the grocery store and grind them myself. I’ve seen the reusable filters for as low as $10, so they aren’t that expensive. I keep forgetting to pick one up. I don’t know if my coffee is “premium”, but to me coffee is coffee, unless it’s Tim Horton’s (yuck).

I’m Guilty! I spent just over a $1,000 bucks last year at Starbucks-and I really don’t like their coffee. For many, starbucks has become a new front porch where you can talk to new found buddies, do a little networking and meet business associates. I think your suggestion makes a ton of sense but as an investor it’s up to me to figure out how to generate additional income for my little vice!

If you like straight coffee, get a Bodum french press for $20 – $40 and make it yerself in the morning, its easy and fun. It comes with a little scoop so you don’t have to worry about how much to put in.

The ones in Starbucks are more expensive than the one I got at Bed Bath Beyond.

Add in the cost of half and half/soy and beans and you are still ahead and save time and gas at the very least

If you like latte/cappacino drinks, you will need an expresso machine. These cost anywhere from $35 up to many tens of thousands, but you can find a decent one for less than $300.

You will really really save money on the expresso drinks. At $5 a pop, do the math…. it will pay for itself in a couple months, and again, its more fun to do it yerself.

I used to be a Starbucks junkie until I bought a Phillips-Senseo pod coffee maker…I was impressed by the flavor of their own pods (not exactly the cheapest, still cheaper than Starbucks)

But imagine my bliss when I learned [online] how to make my own fresh pods with cheap 4-cup coffee filters (you can get 200 for about a buck). Now I can make it as strong or weak as I like, with whatever fancy roasts and blends I choose. The Senseo machine is flawless, easy and fast to use, and BY FAR the easiest clean up of ANY coffee making system. I’ve got all my coworkers and family hooked on it too, they all bought the same machine (geez, I should be getting a commission).

I also own a Nespresso machine, which takes a similar single-cup approach to brewing espresso. It is a very nice machine that makes great espresso, but it’s much more pricey (about $.55 per 4-ounce shot). Still a deal compared to coffee houses.

I’m with Steve, although I go to a couple of independent coffee shops and bakeries. I’ve made friends with the regulars and the employees. Going in there before work is a great chance to relax and unwind (or network) before I head into the office.

I’m not cutting that out so here’s how I save money. Many independent places will give you a discount of up to 50 cents for bringing a reusable mug. Also friendly baristas will often give you discounts or special deals for your loyalty.

Coffee tips:
* ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS grind your own beans. Ground coffee will start to lose its flavor in as little as 15 minutes.
* If you care about how your coffee tastes, use a French Press. This has the added bonus of letting you make one or two cups of coffee at a time.
* Don’t drink Starbucks. I’ve yet to visit a town that doesn’t have its share of independent coffee shops. The coffee is often much better, and you can rest assured that your money isn’t lining the pockets of a suit.
* If you like espresso coffee, try an Americano.
* Only drink fair trade coffee.
* And last, but probably most important: always tip your barista. $2.00USD isn’t outlandish when you’re ordering a $5.00 latte.

The reusable filter is a good idea but remember this. When coffee is exposed to heat it releases a number of beneficial compounds. It also releases some that are not. One of those is a compound that can increase cholesterol levels in a human. Fortunately it tends to stick to a paper filter and has little or no effect because of it. Espresso and other unfiltered coffees can potentially raise your cholesterol. Be cautious if you decide to go sans paper filter.

Sorry, no, reusable filters suck. I bought an expensive Braun gold filter, it’s supposed to work in automatic coffee makers or a Melitta cone. It is just porous enough to let fine coffee grounds through the filter. The water runs right through without extracting much. The resulting coffee is weak, watery, and full of silt.

If you want to save money on coffee, let me offer two suggestions.

1. Make your own coffee at home in the morning, then carry it with you in a thermos.
2. Drink less coffee.

If you’re going to use disposable filters, get the unbleached kind. They’re a little more expensive, but they’ll make your coffee taste a lot better.

Also: NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER store your coffee in the freezer. It’ll destroy the oils and ruin the flavor of your coffee. The best place to keep beans is in an air-tight opaque container in a cool, dry place. Try putting your extra beans in a Zip-Lock bag and “rolling” it to get all of the extra air out. Seal the bag and put the whole mess in a Tupperware container in the cupboard.

At the risk of sounding like a member of the corpocracy (which I certainly hope I am not), I once read an article (New Yorker?) about how Starbucks is not as evil as we might think. The argument was that Starbucks did initially put some coffee places out of business, but that in the long run, they actually enable a larger total number of coffee places to survive by: 1) raising the prices people are willing to pay for “fancy” coffee drinks thereby raising profit margins for everyone and 2) getting large numbers of people hooked on the coffee shop experience. In the Northwest, Mecca for Starbucks, there are still countless independent coffee places/carts as well as several other coffee corps/franchises, all cashing in on our love of the latte. I’m not sure how valid this reasoning really is, but it made me feel a bit less guilt-ridden for ordering my grande extra hot (180) nonfat mocha no whip. Of course, it’s an indulgence I have about twice a month.

[...] Over at Get Rich Slowly, there is an article on coffee (mmm cofffffeeeee, it’s become like medicine since Erin was born, 5 cups a day helps you work, work, and play!), although it is aimed mostly at saving money, there are some great tips on how to improve your coffee making. [...]

Fresh ground beans and a french press! There’s no better way to enjoy a cup of coffee. I had the wonderful pleasure of touring a coffee roasting factory today in Cleveland Ohio. I felt like a kid at Christmas time. It was the freshest and best coffee I’ve ever tasted.

I buy green coffee beans from a local roaster at wholesale prices with no shipping costs. I roast my own in a Zach and Dani’s roaster. [Got it on eBay for half price.] And brew in a french press or a very inexpensive Melitta “Ready Set Joe.”

This coffee is awesome, cheap and infinitely better than anything I could buy at Starbucks.

I’m glad I came back to read the comments. I won’t be buying a reusable filter any time soon. I would like to get a coffee press though, but not if I have to pay a lot. I mostly don’t like Starbucks because they are expensive. We only recently started getting them here outside of Chapters. Now we have 2 on one street, which I don’t get, but at least it’s not another Tim Horton’s (I live in Halifax, NS, in case you’re wondering).

While I like a good cup of coffee at home, or even tea, I still like the whole coffee shop atmosphere. Since there are 4 Starbucks within 3 miles of my condo, I go to Starbucks fairly often.

One other option to consider: I changed my drink at Starbucks. I switched from a latte to a cafe misto. It’s not on the menu, but it’s more like a cafe au lait. For just over half the price of a latte, I get a 50/50 mix of good drip coffee with hot soy milk (that I didn’t scorch on the stove like I so often do at home)

I have a great suggestion for THE BEST poor-man’s (or woman’s) coffee maker.

It’s called the Aero Press – look it up online. It was invented by the same guy who invented Aerobie frisbees. I first read a review for it in Outside Magazine and picked one up for maybe $30 bucks. Since then I’ve NEVER used my fancy Cuisinart coffee maker that I received as a wedding present.

The Aeropress, in my opinion, is better than the french press because it forces the coffee through a paper filter. And don’t worry, the company does not use the Gilette model to sell you the filters expensively – they are quite reasonable, and it comes with something like 300 of them (i change them once a week or so).

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